Man who fatally ran car over security guard still absconding, case filed over ‘reckless driving’: Police

Mofidul Islam, former chief engineer of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), who reportedly fatally ran a car over a security guard in East Rajabazar of the capital is still absconding, police said this afternoon (5 July).

Mofidul is still in hiding, Muhammad Ahad Ali, officer-in-charge of Sher-e Bangla Nagar Police Station, said, adding that a “reckless driving” case has been filed over the incident.

He, however, refused to comment on why the case was filed over “reckless driving”, and not under murder by negligence.

Meanwhile, several sources told The Business Standard that the accused, an elderly man, also got injured in the incident and is currently taking treatment at a Dhaka hospital.

Yesterday (4 July), Mofidul, 69, allegedly ran a car over Fazlul Haque, 25, security guard of the building Mofidul resides, killing him and breaking the main gate of the building.

Fazlul was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

The deceased’s wife Sharifa Begum, 25, filed a case over reckless driving and over speeding under the 98 and 105 sections of the Road Transport Act, 2018 on Thursday (4 July) night.  

Mofidul Islam is the only accused in the case.

In the case statement, seen by TBS, Sharifa said her husband Fazlul Haque, hailing from Netrokona was working at a Dhaka-based security services company named Safe Force Security Private Limited and was deployed at the Shamoliya building in East Rajabazar on 4 July Thursday from 6am.

“On the same day at around 8:15am, the building owner Mofidul Islam was driving out his car from the garage [registration number Dhaka Metro-Ga 376064] recklessly and hit my husband with the car at high speed which also consequently broke the gate. My husband was knocked down on the road and the driver later crushed him with the car which broke my husband’s backbone, he got severe injury and cut marks on right hand, forehead and several parts of the body.

“After that, the accused fled the scene leaving my husband’s blood-soaked body. Sajan, a security guard of the same company, later took my husband to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and on duty doctors pronounced him dead at 8:50am.”

Speaking to TBS, Sharifa said, “It was a planned murder. The reason will be known only if the accused is arrested quickly.”

“I have two daughters. The elder one is five years old and the younger daughter is 16 months old. My two daughters became orphans. How will we survive now? I want justice for my husband’s murder,” she added.

Fazlul’s sister Minara Begum said after the incident, two people named Chunnu and Shahjahan, who introduced themselves as local community leaders of Rajabazar, tried to “manage the whole matter”.

“We were brought to the councillor’s office several times to settle the matter. Attempts were made to cover up the issue by talking about settlement with us.”

Police sources initially said Mofidul allegedly ran Fazlul over with his car in a fit of rage after there was a delay in opening the gate.

However, OC Ahad Ali later told TBS that the incident might have happened as the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator of the car instead of the brake pedal.

TBS tried to interview the security company Safe Force Security Private Limited, which employed Fazlul, for their comment but they refused to comment.

Punishment for reckless driving

According to Section 98 of the Road Transport Act, 2018, the penalty for overloading or reckless driving causing loss of life and property; driving a motor vehicle at a speed exceeding the legal limit, or in a manner which is reckless, or dangerous overtaking or overloading, or driving a motor vehicle without any control, causing any accident resulting in loss of life or property, shall be an offence and the offender shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to Tk3 lakh, or with both, and the court may order the whole or part of the fine to be paid to the victim.